ESSEX - Geography and history
Characteristics
Essex, historically the 'land of the East Saxons', is situated in the southeast of the East of England Region. In terms of its administrative structure, Essex consists of Essex County Council and the two unitary authorities of Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock. It covers an area of 3,670 km2. The southwest of Essex borders London and is made up of industrialised urban and suburban areas although Essex is neither prominently urban nor rural in character. Chelmsford is the administrative centre of Essex with Clacton-on-Sea and Southend-on-Sea being principal seaside resorts.
Its terrain is generally flat, the chalk highlands in the northwest slope gradually south and east towards the low alluvial coast with its many inlets and coastal islands. Much of what used to be marshland has now been reclaimed. Essex borders the river Thames to the south, the rivers Lea and Roding flow into the Thames, and the Crouch, Blackwater and Stour flow into the North Sea.
Geologically, Essex is part of the structural downwarp known as the London basin; and deposits of London clay cover a large part of the surface of the county. Over much of the area, agriculture is supported by a variety of rich soils which were deposited by 'glacial drift'.
Its coastline, though still consisting of marshland in parts, also provides important port facilities.
Population
The population of the subregion increased by 9 per cent to 1,616,000 between 1981 and 2001; this was nearly twice the rate of increase for the UK. The southwest of the county, with a number of commuter towns, is very densely populated.
The age structure of the population is fairly well balanced but some of the coastal areas, particularly Tendring, have a much higher percentage of people who are older.
Population growth as the result of natural causes in Essex rose in 2001-2002. The birth rate of 11.0 per thousand inhabitants was higher than the death rate of 10.1 per thousand inhabitants in 2001. The infant mortality rate is also lower in the subregion compared to the UK.
Economy
Essex is an established base for businesses engaged in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, financial and business services and research and development. Although the County's manufacturing base has declined in recent years, service sector employment has increased, particularly in banking, insurance and business services.
In 2003 the number of people unemployed and claiming benefit in the county of Essex was considerably below the rate for the United Kingdom in all districts. However the rate for Southend-on-Sea was above that of the United Kingdom.
Part of the subregion to the south is included in the Thames Gateway growth area ? one of four growth areas in the United Kingdom. These areas have experienced significant economic success resulting in pressures on housing and services which cannot readily be dealt with within existing towns and cities. New and expanded communities are therefore needed to support the sustainable growth of these areas. Within the Thames Gateway, considerable funding has been provided to help with improvements in housing provision and infrastructure, the remediation of brownfield land and the regeneration of existing communities as well as initiatives covering education, health and environmental programmes.
Agriculture
Almost three quarters of the agricultural land in the subregion in 2002 was used for crops. The majority of crops grown are cereals such as wheat, barley and oats. Substantial amounts of land are also used for crops for stock feeding and oil seed rape. The numbers of cattle, sheep and pigs have been reducing in recent years.
Infrastructure
The county has two airports. The airport at Stansted, to the north of London and close to the M11, is London?s third airport and is the fastest growing in the country with plans approved for a second runway by 2012. The airport at Southend-on-Sea is small with little international traffic.
Essex has a road network of approximately 7,500 kilometres in length. A number of major strategic roads radiate out from London and across Essex. All are linked by the M25 which encircles London and runs along the southwestern border of the county. The M25 crosses the Thames from Thurrock in Essex to Dartford in Kent. The county has excellent radial rail links from London, with over half the stations in Essex within one hour of the City.
The area is also an important gateway to Europe through the seaports of Harwich and Tilbury. The port of Tilbury which handles containers, bulk grain and forest products is developing into a freight distribution hub and Harwich is benefiting from the increase in sea-borne container traffic. The number of passengers using ships to and from the port of Harwich was around 1.3 million in 2002.
The ports of Harwich International and Harwich Navyard are two of the five ports which form the Haven Gateway Partnerships. This represents the single most important cluster of ports in the United Kingdom. The Partnership provides a framework within which its partner organisations from the private and public sectors can work together to promote the economic opportunities and secure future prosperity.
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